According to Epsilon, the Guide has been written in an effort to simplify and clarify the legislation surrounding electrical safety and to offer a point of reference for any Duty Holder.

Mark Blanchfield, managing director of Epsilon Test Services said that many facilities managers or health and safety officers are confused by recent changes in legislation regarding electrical safety. The updated BS7671: 2008, IEE Wiring Regulations 17th Edition came into force on 1st July to bring the UK in line with European standards. This means that all sites must now be tested to the new Standard and many more deviations will subsequently be reported.

“This year we have seen the incoming Corporate Manslaughter Bill and, hot on its heels, a tightening in the electrical safety legislation,” said Blanchfield. “The combination means that there are many responsibility holders out there who need a refresh on electrical safety facts and still a great number of organisations that need to bring their sites into a compliant state.

“This simple Guide has been written as a useful starting point for those who need to understand the facts of electrical safety.” Blanchfield continued, “We are launching it at TWM to raise awareness of this critical element of health and safety”.

‘A Guide to Electrical Safety in the UK’ starts by outlining the reasons why electrical safety is important and summarises the relevant legislation. It covers the essential facts of portable appliance testing (PAT) and periodic fixed wire testing. The document concludes with a checklist for choosing an electrical safety testing supplier and a reading list that contains the relevant legislation and useful documents from the HSE and IET.

To get a copy of this Guide visit E30 at TWM or www.epsilontest.com.

The safety testing company has interviewed several of the country’s leading insurance firms and established that they rely on the efficacy of government legislation to ensure that their policy holders are aware of and carrying out appropriate electrical safety tests and maintenance to comply with the law. Epsilon’s warning is that those who are unaware of or ignoring the obligations imposed by The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 could find that, should the worst happen, their insurance policy may not provide a financial safety net.

According to Norwich Union, electricity is the second largest cause of fires in commercial and industrial premises in the UK and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) state that "many deaths and injuries arise from use of poorly maintained electrical equipment."  They qualify this by saying that each year about 1000 accidents at work involving electric shock or burns are reported and around 30 of those are fatal.

Mark Blanchfield, managing director of Epsilon Test Services, explains “In the course of testing portable appliances and fixed installations we see plenty of disasters waiting to happen – some truly terrifying – but at least those sites have been tested and remedial work now done. What is much more worrying is the number of organisations that haven’t been properly checked and that are failing to comply with safety legislation. Those organisations are putting a great deal at risk and one of the factors in danger is their insurance.”

“One insurer I spoke to likened electrical safety compliance to a vehicle MOT,” said Blanchfield. “Like an MOT certificate, it might not be necessary to prove your legal compliance at the time you take out your insurance policy, but you better be able to produce the records to prove your electrical diligence if you ever need to claim. And, just like an MOT, electrical inspection records can’t be manufactured once the accident has happened.”

According to Eddie Jones, technical manager for risk control at Royal & SunAlliance (R&SA), in the event of a claim the loss adjuster will often ask for a copy of a recent survey of the premises from the insured. Where this isn’t available they may wish to examine electrical inspection records to ensure a regular and systematic maintenance regime is in place in line with legislative requirements.

Most insurance firms say that they work with their customers to remove or reduce the potential for loss or damage, helping them better manage their risk. They do, however, expect policyholders to meet all legal and legislative requirements. In the event of a large claim insurers would ‘consider all material facts pertaining to the loss, including any statutory obligation of the business’. So understanding your statutory obligation and fulfilling it is of paramount importance.

A typical insurance policy condition requires the policyholder to ‘take all reasonable precautions to prevent or diminish loss, destruction or damage occurrence or cease any activity which may give rise to liability’. This echoes current legislation, and with an emphasis on prevention it’s crucial for policyholders to take a proactive approach to electrical safety. Believing that a policy will cover the loss, no matter what, is a dangerous assumption. Clearly the policyholder has a duty of care to fulfil first.

Explaining the expansion, managing director Mark Blanchfield commented, “Epsilon continues to grow and with increasing business development activities backed by our new parent PHS Group, we need to further strengthen the workforce to meet demand. We need more engineers in all areas of the country for both portable appliance and periodic fixed installation testing.”

Epsilon specialises in electrical safety testing and this maintenance work still appears lucrative even though many in the trade are suffering with the dramatic slow down in the house building and construction industry in the UK. In the past month Barratt, Bovis Homes, Redrow and Persimmon all made mass job cuts and Taylor Wimpey sought refinancing in June. The knock-on effects are already being reported by suppliers to the trade.

Supporting Epsilon’s strategy to focus on safety testing, the new chairman of the British Institute of Facilities Managers (BIFM) described facilities management as “recession-proof” in a recent interview and backed this statement by explaining that companies may cut back on non-essentials but would continue to need safety provision and maintenance. Electrical safety is an essential part of compliance with safety legislation and, being mandatory, this work is insulated from economic fluctuations.

According to Mark Blanchfield, the company is benefiting from established preferred supplier contracts and continues to win business thanks to its technical set up. Engineers are equipped with testers and PDA devices with which they transmit back data to the central servers, meaning faster reporting for clients. “We forecast continued growth and expansion throughout 2008,” he added, “and we have set very aggressive targets for further increases, meaning more recruitment in the short and medium term.”

The company employs over 140 engineers across the country, plus 12 regional staff and an additional 50 head office staff based in Gloucester.

According to the field operations manager at electrical safety experts Epsilon Test Services, Darren Bakewell, the new standard has been brought in to align the UK with European standards. “The amendments to BS7671 have emanated from both IEC60364 and CENELEC 60384,” he explained. “Some aspects of the Standard have become more stringent and the unofficial view of many in the industry is that controls will continue to tighten over the next couple of years. All those concerned with electrical safety will need to be aware of the changes and the implications.”

The changes, said Bakewell, include amendments and extensions of terminology and definitions (the new Standard includes 260 definitions compared to 170 previously), changes to protection against electric shock and harmonisation of bathrooms. There are more stringent EMC requirements, a new section on lighting and luminaries and seven new appendices to the Standard. Many special locations listed within the 16th Edition have lost their special status and are now dealt with in the body of the Standard. Seven new special locations have been added, many dealing with outdoor environments such as marinas, caravans and mobile units, plus some that add newer technologies that have become more prevalent such as floor and ceiling heating systems and solar power supplies.

Making sense of the detail, Bakewell breaks the implications down into three main changes for those responsible for electrical safety to focus upon: Firstly, when choosing a contractor to carry out testing the client will need to ensure that they select a competent person (Reg 621.5), defined as ‘a person who possesses sufficient technical knowledge, relevant practical skills and experience for the nature of the electrical work undertaken and is able at all times to prevent danger and, where appropriate, injury to him/herself and others’. It will no longer be possible to utilise unqualified testers and many electrical companies are still struggling to get their workers through the required training to achieve the updated 2391.

Secondly, clients should prepare themselves for the fact that when they receive their electrical safety testing report they will have many more deviations due to the installation not being designed and installed to the 17th Edition. Most additional issues identified by the 17th Edition will be Code Four; non-compliant but not dangerous, but any Code Two issues recorded will make the report ‘unsatisfactory’ and hence require remedial action.

The third major consideration is potential for greater cost. Testing to the 17th Edition will undoubtedly take more time says Bakewell, as electricians and engineers assimilate new charts of regulation data. With more deviations, the test engineer will be required to supply further notes in the reporting and this will also take time. From a client’s perspective it will become increasingly important to choose a test company that has qualified staff, and efficient processes to ensure that costs are controlled.

Bakewell summarises, “Since 1989 it has been a legal requirement for organisations to maintain their electrical systems in a safe manor (EWR 1989). How that obligation is fulfilled has been made more specific by the 17th Edition and ultimately it should make for greater safety and improved control.”

Award winning Epsilon specialises in portable appliance testing (PAT), periodic fixed installation testing and thermal imaging. The company was formed in 1993 and has experienced year-on-year growth, recording a profit increase last year of over 300 per cent.

The PHS Group acquired Epsilon as part of its strategy to broaden its range of services. The group has a strong track record of acquiring successful specialists in the facilities market and now has divisions that offer a range of services that include washroom services, drinking water dispensers, confidential waste destruction, waste management and interior and exterior landscaping.

Both parties cite synergy as their motivation for the sale. Epsilon’s managing director Mark Blanchfield commented, “We are delighted that Epsilon will be joining the PHS Group and see this as the right foundation for future growth. As a company we have invested heavily in technology and have strived to set the benchmark for quality of service in our industry. Our approach of focusing on the customer and exceeding their expectations is very much in line with the PHS ethos. As a parent group PHS offers a great deal of support and has an established customer base of over 200,000. We look forward to offering electrical testing services to those existing customers whilst continuing to win new business.”

Peter Cohen, chief executive of the PHS Group, said “Epsilon Test Services is a very successful business with a track record of development and growth. Their electrical safety services complement the existing PHS portfolio and will be an asset to the Group.”

Epsilon will continue to be run by the existing management team.

The 24/7 nature of the hotel business created a challenging and complex Travelodge testing schedule, as Steve Gold reports.

With a new Travelodge opening on average every eight working days in 2008, it’s imperative that every existing and new hotel performs at the highest level in order for the hotel chain to continue to attract and accommodate high occupancy. With this in mind, it was essential that the group maintained it’s compliance with Electricity at Work 1989 regulations as part of ensuring all hotel rooms in the estate were online and available for sale.

“We were obviously delighted to win this contract in partnership with Marshall,” said John Harbutt, Operations Manager with Epsilon. “But we quickly realised that it was going to take a unique approach to fulfil.”

At the start of the contract Travelodge had some priority sites that called for an immediate response. These priorities were swiftly dealt with whilst the main contract programme was rolled out. “We had to flex for rapid demands without compromising on the orderly fulfilment of the project plan,” explained Harbutt. “Whilst the deal was done at a national level, the arrangements for testing had to be made with the duty manager of each hotel individually. They call the tune when it comes to access and they are especially vigilant in avoiding any loss of room availability given their need to maintain customer satisfaction at all times.”

The electrical testing for Travelodge encompassed over 78,443 appliances and in the order of 63,600 circuits. Phase One of the contract was executed in just three months and encompassed 175 hotels. The remaining 75 sites were dealt with in Phase Two.

Planning behind the whole programme was run very carefully, taking into account considerations for the type of hotel and its normal operating patterns. According to Harbutt there were very different approaches for different types of hotel within the group. Motorway or road side hotels tend to be a standard format, whereas the city-centre sites tend to be larger and have portions of rewiring, or more than one incoming supply. A number of hotels within the estate have also been extended, meaning each building in such an instance would also have a newer extension with more rooms.

Whilst the technical fabric of each hotel was different, a common difficulty at each was getting access to the whole site at one time. Unlike an office, where engineers can work their way steadily across each floor, in the hotels lots of the rooms were occupied so it was a case of testing in a random pattern to fit in with availability. Overnight testing is often a solution for busy commercial buildings that can’t be accessed in the day, but this was obviously completely out of the question for Travelodge given customers are on site at night.

John Harbutt said; “Our engineers worked with each of the hotel managers to ensure rooms were clear before testing began. We also had to be mindful of guests in neighbouring rooms and so all 140 engineers were briefed to take extra care and adopt a quiet approach.”

The requirements of the manager for each hotel site were followed, and in some cases this meant one or two engineers spending extended periods of time at the site, only able to gain access to test bedrooms as they became available during unpredictable turnaround times. In bigger hotels teams of up to eight engineers were sent to flood the site and conduct all the testing rapidly within a tight window of opportunity.

Epsilon’s engineers also faced some interesting challenges once they got on site at most of the hotels. PAT and fixed installation are usually run as completely separate disciplines but hotels have some unusual wiring that calls for combined testing skill. Kettles, lights and other appliances within rooms may be plugged-in or alternatively hard-wired in as a spur. This turns a PAT item into part of the fixed wiring and hence needs to be dealt with entirely differently. This situation made full use of Epsilon’s skilled workforce and, after some deliberation, was quickly accommodated within the programme.

“One of the things that impressed us about Epsilon was that all their engineers are well trained and all qualified to either C&G 2377 or 2391 standard,” explained Tony Crawshaw, FM manager for Marshall. “That fact turned out to be particularly important on this project as they dealt proficiently with whatever a site presented them with, without delays or disruption to the client.”

According to Crawshaw, Marshall was the natural port of call when Travelodge needed electrical support. As one of the firm’s main building contractors, they had a long relationship with the hotel chain as it has progressively expanded over the years. “The FM side of the business started life in the 1990s when our managing director, John Marshall, was asked if he had a facilities management division. At the time he didn’t, so he took a leap of faith and created one,” Crawshaw said.

During his seven years as head of facilities at Marshall, Tony Crawshaw has seen the company’s FM business steadily rise from an annual turnover of £400,000 to £2 million.

“The other major factor in selecting Epsilon was their investment in IT systems,” he explained. Every engineer is equipped with wireless-enabled PDAs, running uniquely tailored software, to transmit results from their handheld testers straight back to the central server. Once these tests are checked and verified the results are automatically posted onto an intranet that’s available – by password access - to both the FM project team and the client. Epsilon has received a good deal of industry attention for its groundbreaking application of technology and won the DTI Award for Innovation and Beacon status as a result.

“Our electronic approach to data origination and entry allows all those working on the project to keep a continuous handle on what’s going on,” said Harbutt. “It has also allowed us to achieve efficiency savings that mean we can offer first class service but at a very cost-conscious price.”

Over and above the original schedule of work, Travelodge gave Epsilon and Marshall additional projects.

Crawshaw explained; “Travelodge had recently undertaken an investigation into its heating system and found its heated towel rails and heaters in the corridors outside the bedrooms, were non-essential to the maintenance of comfortable ambient heat within the hotel itself. It therefore devised a plan to turn these surplus heaters off and asked Epsilon to undertake this work and make them safe.

Commenting on the successful project, Mike Lea, Head of Facilities for Travelodge, said “This safety testing programme has run extremely smoothly. Epsilon and Marshall worked excellently with the hotel operation teams and together they overcame any hurdles and delivered to our scope of works, on time and within budget.”

The future for Travelodge looks healthy as the hotel chain aims to add an average of 4,000 rooms (approx 40 hotels) every year – taking its total to 70,000 rooms (around 1000 hotels) by 2020 – a 10 per cent share of the hotel market. By the 2012 Olympics, the chain aims to be the biggest hotel operator in Central London, with a target of 7,000 rooms in the Capital.

Epsilon’s managing director, Mark Blanchfield, has talked to the UK’s top insurers and he claims that there’s a serious danger that policies won’t protect those that ignore their duty of care and fail to implement appropriate electrical safety procedures. To highlight this issue he has written an article to explain why firms are potentially at risk.

“Last year we campaigned hard to raise awareness of electrical safety,” said Mark Blanchfield. “This matter could not be more important in light of the new Corporate Killing Bill. Looking at this subject with commercial insurance in mind it’s critical that company directors and those in positions of responsibility make sure that they comply with legislation and have their house in order. We see plenty of dangerous situations but at least those are hazards that get dealt with. Our suspicion is that there’s a massive invisible issue that is just being ignored. This campaign should prompt some attention we hope.”

Visitors to the show can pick up a copy of the insurance warning article from stand C20. Epsilon will be showing their range of electrical safety testing services that includes portable appliance testing, periodic fixed installation testing and thermal imaging.

The investment has been made in two areas: building a new server infrastructure for databases, email and VPN (virtual private network) and introducing a new business-wide software system to help the company channel its activities from prospecting, through orders to ultimate invoicing.

According to Epsilon’s managing director Mark Blanchfield, this investment is part of their ongoing strategy to lead the market by technical advantage. He explained “We’ve already spent millions of pounds on software and wireless technology to create significant efficiency savings. This current programme of improvement will allow us to extend that advantage and enhance our service even further. At the moment we provide reporting on line for our clients and these changes will improve the speed, stability and reliability of their access to that data.”

The new software chosen by Epsilon is Sage 200 and was selected for its flexibility and ability to be customised to fit the specific business needs. Development work has already started to create a bespoke sales interface for the system.

To make the most of its faster processing power and new software, Epsilon has also adopted a dedicated leased line for its connection to the internet. This avoids slow or dropped connections and gives a smoother service to both customers and the company’s 140 engineers in the field. All test data captured is currently transmitted by the engineers via PDAs. This allows head office to conduct verification and at the same time allows real time margin analysis for each job.

The company has a history of technical investment and has won awards for using IT to drive efficiency and business success. Mark Blanchfield concludes; “We undertook thorough evaluation of all options before embarking on this IT implementation. Now it is bedded in we can see how big an impact it will make on all areas of our business. It is already exceeding our expectations.”

In this opinion article Mark offers information gleaned from the insurance industry and gives his views on what it means for electrical safety.

Ready for a shock?

Electricity is the second largest cause of fires in commercial and industrial premises in the UK*. Naturally this is of concern to British insurers and most work with their customers to remove or reduce the potential for loss or damage, thus helping them better manage their risk. Insurers also rely heavily on the efficacy of government legislation to ensure that their policy holders are aware of and carrying out appropriate electrical safety tests and maintenance. But does this work in practise? Mark Blanchfield of electrical safety experts Epsilon Test Services argues that many organisations still ignore their duty in terms of electrical safety and he questions whether many could be invalidating their commercial insurance.

Having worked in the electrical safety market for fifteen years, I’ve seen plenty of disasters and death-traps. But at least those are catastrophes that we’ve managed to avoid. What’s more worrying is the vast number of businesses that aren’t compliant with safety legislation and could well find themselves uninsured if the worst should happen.

From information supplied by some of the biggest insurance firms in the UK I now understand that there is an expectation that the policyholder meets all legal and legislative requirements. In the event of a large claim insurers would ‘consider all material facts pertaining to the loss, including any statutory obligation of the business’. So understanding your statutory obligation and fulfilling it is of paramount importance.

A fairly typical insurance policy condition requires the policyholder to ‘take all reasonable precautions to prevent or diminish loss, destruction or damage occurrence or cease any activity which may give rise to liability’. This very much echoes current legislation, and with an emphasis on prevention it’s crucial for policyholders to take a proactive approach to electrical safety. Believing that your policy will cover you, no matter what, is a dangerous assumption. Clearly you, as policyholder, have a duty of care to fulfil first.

Making a claim

According to Eddie Jones, technical manager for risk control at Royal & SunAlliance (R&SA), in the event of a claim the loss adjuster will often ask for a copy of a recent survey of the premises from the insurers. Where this isn’t available they may wish to examine electrical inspection records to ensure a regular and systematic maintenance regime is in place in line with legislative requirements.

As Eddie points out, it is likely that the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) or Local Authority would be examining the same documents. And any business owner should already appreciate the power those bodies are able to bring to bear. Indeed, the HSE reports around 30 deaths a year at work caused by electric shocks and with the new Corporate Manslaughter legislation it should send a cold chill down the spine of any Duty Holder.

Insurers are certainly playing their part in checking that companies have met their electrical safety obligations. A substantial number of premises are visited by surveyors working on behalf of the insurers and they will evaluate whether legislative standards are being met. Allister Smith, property risk manager at NU underwriting (Norwich Union) explains; “During our insurance surveys that we carry out of our customers’ premises this is naturally an area that we do focus on quite closely. We raise the awareness of responsibilities and in many cases this may be a requirement for the insurance contract.”

When asking about electrical safety certification, another insurer likened electrical safety compliance to a vehicle MOT. Like an MOT certificate, it might not be necessary to prove your legal compliance at the time you take out your insurance policy, but you better be able to produce the records to prove your electrical diligence if you ever need to claim. And, just like an MOT, electrical inspection records can’t be manufactured once the accident has happened.

Keep covered, keep safe

Having established that the insurers expect you, as a policyholder, to meet your statutory obligation in respect of electrical safety it’s important to grasp what that includes. The relevant legislation is The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, part of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The Regulations make no specific stipulations on examination and testing, but state that you must 'maintain electrical systems as far as is reasonably practicable to prevent danger'.

Interpreting this Regulation is what causes many organisations to struggle as nothing specific is written that gives you direct instruction on what exactly you must do regarding frequency of test. The IEE offer advice, as do the HSE. Ultimately the onus remains with the company who should conduct a risk assessment to identify the potential risk. As a broad guide, periodic installation testing on commercial premises should be carried out every five years and on portable appliances and other equipment regularly between one and four years, depending on usage.

The easiest way to entirely fulfil your obligation is to get a qualified and unbiased expert to test the electrical wiring system in the building and the portable appliances within it. They will report back on any remedial work that may be recommended or required and should undertake any small corrections such as replacement of faulty or incorrectly rated fuses. To avoid conflict of interest it is advisable to use separate companies for testing and any remedial work.

When you choose an expert to undertake your testing make sure they are members of both the NICEIC and ECA and all their engineers are fully qualified to City and Guilds 2377 for portable appliance testing and 2391 for fixed installation. Their testing methods should comply with the IEE Codes of Practice and current Wiring Regulations to BS7671-2001 as amended and IEE guidance note 3. Check also that your supplier has public liability insurance of at least £5m in place.

Further reading

Both R&SA and Norwhich Union provide useful summary documents:

http://www.nu-riskservices.co.uk/riskadvice/index.htm

www.managerisk.royalsun.co.uk (property and H&S sections)

Newest ASM is Nick Cooke who covers the Central and South West region and was promoted from the firm’s telesales team where he had proved his success over the last year. Commenting on his new challenge Nick explained that he is working hard to fulfil the high expectations of him. He went on to say that new engineers have already been recruited in his region so the pressure is on for him to bring in the orders for them to be kept busy. Outside his work in the electrical test market Nick is a volunteer gliding instructor for the RAF and has been teaching Air Cadets for the last nine years.

Mike Evans joins Epsilon from CLM where he specialised in electrical testing for 16 years. Mike is based in Greater Manchester and will focus on the North West region. Commenting on his appointment managing director Mark Blanchfield said “We are very pleased to have Mike joining Epsilon as he brings with him a tremendous legacy of industry knowledge. In particular Mike has a lot of experience in working with the NHS and we are expanding on the work we are doing for the health sector.”

Moving south, Simon Rigby has made a career move into the electrical market from eight years in finance, the last three years being in sales for Lloyds TSB. According to Simon he sought the role at Epsilon to have a complete change of environment. He now covers the South East, from Kent to Hampshire, working from his home near Brighton.

Nick Haverson joins the company to cover North London and the area across to East Anglia, taking in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. Nick previously worked in the MMG group for over 20 years, focusing on electronic components. His experience in components and their application is now proving useful in translating site needs for electrical testing. When he’s not on the road Nick is a keen gardener and was ahead of the growing trend to grown your own produce.

Completing the role call of new ASMs, Ian Whisson and Mike Young join the company to cover Central and East London with John Dickson recruited to work on the M4 corridor area. David Lawton has come into the business to work with Geoff Nurse in the North West with Mark Whittaker taking the North East region and Dean McCoy responsible for the East Midlands.

In addition to this ASM expansion programme, the internal sales team, based at Epsilon’s Gloucester headquarters, has been strengthened to support the field team.

Explaining the mass of recruitment, sales manager Tony Hedges said “Our business has expanded hugely in the last year and we are building our sales team to cope with the demand from the market. Even with this raft of recruitment and promotion we still have vacancies to fill and will be concentrating on getting to full force by the end of this quarter.”

Electrical engineers at Epsilon raise the bar

January 2008 – Electrical safety specialists Epsilon Test Services have unveiled their ambitious aim of training their entire workforce of fixed installation periodic test engineers to the NICEIC’s Qualifying Supervisor status.